A JOCKEY has vowed to take on a fundraising challenge for the Great North Air Ambulance after twice being rushed to hospital by the service.

Terence Murphy, 33, form Middleham, near Leyburn, Wensleydale, suffered serious head injuries in an alleged attack close to the stables where he works on Friday, January 6.

The father-of-two was found laid unconscious near Middleham Castle by a passer-by who alerted the emergency services.

Mr Murphy, a jockey at Ben Haslam Racing, said: “I had finished work and was walking home from Castle Hill Stables, only a few minutes away.

“I remember waking up in the back of the ambulance.

“Paramedics called for the air ambulance to transfer me to hospital.”

After treatment by the GNAAS doctor-led trauma team, Mr Murphy was flown to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough within 12 minutes. Following a CT scan, he was diagnosed with a fractured cheekbone, cuts and bruising but was discharged later the same day.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said a man had been arrested in connection with the incident, who has been bailed until January 29.

Mr Murphy said: “GNAAS is fantastic. It is an invaluable service and I would encourage everybody to support the charity. We couldn’t do without them.

“As a jockey, we appreciate the work that the helicopter does. Getting to the nearest hospital, which is often over an hour away, is crucial.”

This is the second time that Mr Murphy has been rescued by air ambulance after he was airlifted in April last year, following a fall from a horse at the stables. He suffered a broken collar bone.

Mr Murphy plans to take on a fundraising challenge to further repay his thanks to the charity in the near future.